Redundancy Alert! Pet Stores = Puppy Mills = DUH
The fall out over the puppy mill bust in Quebec, Canada has led to a ton of hand wringing and hyperbole in media circles. CBC reports that Quebec is ‘the puppy mill capital of North America’, a fact that would come as welcome news to Pennsylvania and Kansas, two states that have been tied neck and neck for that title for the past decade.
In the middle of the article comes a quote from the executive director of ANIMA-Québec, the government-funded group responsible for enforcing animal-rights laws, saying that the best way to avoid buying a puppy mill puppy is to “ask the owner of the pet shop where he is … [getting] his animals [from]”.
That sound? That’s my head hitting my freakin’ desk.
Where’s the insightful advice about how to choose an ethical breeder? Where’s the oft repeated, always on the mark advice about never buying a puppy from a pet store? Where’s the check list of things for the public to look for when purchasing a puppy from any source? Who pays your salary, ANIMA-QUEBEC?
I’ve said this before (as have many others before me, Gina Spadafori of Pet Connection the most frequently and eloquently), but let me say it once again –
The best way to avoid buying a puppy mill bred puppy is to NOT BUY A PUPPY FROM A PET STORE. Any pet store.
Yes – Even the pretty ones and the clean ones and the ones with cute names.
Yes – Even the pricey ones in Manhattan or Beverly Hills.
Yes – Even the ones who claim that they buy their puppies from ‘caring breeders’.
Yes – Even the ones who say all their puppies are ‘registered’.
Every pet store, everyplace, that sells live puppies gets their puppies from puppy mills.
Every. Single. One.
And pet stores? They lie. They’ll be HAPPY to tell you all about the caring, loving, clean breeders who they buy their puppies from. They’re lying. They’re liars. They LIE. Pound that fact into your heads. If you buy a puppy anyway, because you ‘really believe them’, then you’re either a sucker or a heartless jerk who really doesn’t care what happens to your puppy’s relatives.
And no, I won’t sugar coat that for you so you can feel better about your over priced impulse buy. I won’t tell you that you’re still a good person who just didn’t know any better, because unless you live under a rock? No excuse. No excuse for saying “but I didn’t know”. Yeah, you did. You knew, but you wanted that puppy, right now, with no waiting, and billed to your credit card, and because of that, your puppy’s mommy just pumped out one more litter onto cold chicken wire with no vet care, substandard food, and a good chance that she’ll die during labour.
Congratulations, your karma just tanked.
Some people, of course, just refuse to accept that a clean, well lit pet store could possibly lie – after all, look how expensive their puppies are, and doesn’t expensive equal better?
For ‘fun’, I just called Canada’s version of Petland, PJ’s Pets. Specifically, I called their most ‘upscale’ location, in Yorkdale Mall, and asked if they had French Bulldogs for sale.
The conversation went like this:
PJ’s “Puppy Sale” Department Rep: “We have three available right now – 3 black ones. They’re really adorable”.
Me, ignoring fact that Frenchies don’t come in black: “Can you tell me how much?”
PJ’s: “They’re on sale right now – regular $3899, on sale for $3499”.
Me: “Are they Canadian bred?”
PJ’s: “Umm, no. No, these ones aren’t. They’re not from Quebec, definitely” (nervous sounding giggle)
Me: “OK, can you tell me where they’re from them? Are they registered? Do they have ‘papers’?”
PJ’s: “Oh, yeah, yes. They have papers for sure”.
Me: “But can you tell me where they were bred?”
PJ’s: “Let me check. OK, these ones are from the US. They have US papers. Continental Kennel Association (sic). That means they can be registered here”. (I assume she meant Continental Kennel Club, and she’s completely wrong – American bred dogs can only be registered in Canada if they have AKC issued registration papers).
Obviously, this is a quality, reliable source of information about French Bulldogs. How could you not trust them with a $3500 purchase?
But, just in case there is still anyone left who claims “But the pet store my puppy came from is different“, here’s the video story from the HSUS on their year long investigation into the link between Petland and Puppy Mills. Make sure to pay special attention to the parts where Petland employees claim that all their puppies come from great breeders.
Shameless Puppy Pandering
Oh, Mr. Obama. Has it really sunk to this – puppy pandering? This is gonna take a lot of puppies.
Over on Medium Large, timely tips on how not to screw up Thanksgiving dinner. Again.
And, lest this post be not French Bulldog topical, here are a few manipulated sketches of Heart and Tula. Oh Photoshop, how do I love thee..
Historical Frenchies – Poisoned Show Dogs & Bad Judging
Years ago, when I was new to showing and convinced that everyone in the world was as sunshine and buttercups as I was, I hired a handler to take a cute little specials bitch out on the road for me. In a short period of time, she was cleaning up at almost every show she entered, and knocking some rather well known and heavily campaigned dogs out of the big ring in the process.
When I called to get our weekly Sunday report from my handler, I was stunned when he casually mentioned that another handler had ‘stepped on her foot’ just before they went in the ring, with the resulting limp throwing her out of contention.
Shocked, I asked him if he’d done anything about it, and he cynically replied that it was the kind of thing you got used to, and that he’d get his back against them eventually. I didn’t ask what he meant, because I really, really didn’t want to know, and I parted ways with him shortly thereafter.
Anyone who shows their dogs in conformation has a story or two to tell about cut throat competitors who’ll stop at nothing.
It’s not very comforting to know that this sort of thing has been going since pretty much the inception of showing, as this story from the 1902 Syracuse Post Standard illustrates –
Poisoned Meat Fed to Prize Canines at Gotham Dog Show
New York, October 24th 1902
Poisoned meat was fed to two valuable dogs at the show of he Women’s Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden to-night and they died in great agony.
Deep anger was voiced by dog lovers when the news went around the garden. If the culprit be caught, the Women’s Kennel Association will push a prosecution.
The dogs were owned by the Metropolitan Dog Exchange. They were Crib of Ashfield, a French bulldog, and Lady of Ellen, a bull. Mrs. R. Taylor was the breeder of both animals. Lady Ellen won a first prize, and was for sale at $700. Crib of Ashfield’s value was set at $600.
Three or four years ago several dogs were poisoned at the Westminster Kennel Club show at the garden.
Apparently, this was a contentious show all around for French Bulldogs. The French Bulldog breed standard had just established the ‘bat ear’ as correct for Frenchies, and some judges were apparently not quite up to date on these changes.
The New York Times reported on the Women’s Kennel Association show on October 25th 1902, and included reports of complaints about the judging from some of the French Bulldog exhibitors — another situation that anyone who shows today is far too familiar with.
No formal protests were filed, but there was considerable talk among the exhibitors of what were termed unfair or peculiar decisions in a few prominent cases. Foxhall Keene came in for the chief condemnation. Mrs. D. T. Pulsifer, who lost the Stanton Cup for the best American-bred bulldog under eighteen months old, felt particularly incensed at the award of the cup to the Hellcote Kennels’ Fiston. The latter dog, it is claimed, possesses “Button Ears”, which is a true mark of disqualification, and the French Bulldog club has been appealed to to set matters right.
Mrs. J. L. Kernochan, President of the Ladies Association, said: “I hear there has been some dissatisfaction with some of the judging. This is unavoidable. A judge is not infallible; he can merely give his best personal opinion as to the merits of the dogs as they are shown.”